Last Updated on February 14, 2024

Why You Need to Buy Premium Proxy Servers

We all like free, right? So, it seems logical that we should try out free proxies before handing over cash for paid ones? Do we really need a premium proxy server at all? Unfortunately, although it’s tempting in reality it’s often a very bad idea. Think of it like trying out that new tax advisor who’s offering to do all your returns for free? Bad idea? Probably!

What is a proxy server?

So, what exactly is a proxy server, and why might I need one? A proxy server is simply an intermediary that handles something like a request that your computer makes and sends to an external website. This external website is usually the website you are trying to reach. The proxy server is basically converting the request that your computer makes. Then it forwards that request to the website you are trying to reach.

Doesn’t sound that useful? Well, what it effectively gives you is two important online abilities –

Anonymity –

Your actual location and identity are hidden from any web resource you visit. What’s more you can even present a false location through a fake IP address. Extremely useful for research purposes, checking adverts and even accessing resources that are normally blocked to your real location.

Multiple Digital Identities

Generally, most of us have a single identity we can use online. Most sites won’t actually let us create multiple accounts especially if they’re used for commercial purposes. The simplest way to block This is to monitor access based on your IP address.

A proxy potentially allows you access to thousands of IP addresses in all sorts of locations. Hence, you can easily create as many identities as you need to exploit the myriad of opportunities online. Examples would include running multiple social media accounts to promote or sell with. Other ideas include buying and selling rare sneakers online or hard to acquire items like concert tickets. Anything that can be potentially scaled online is possible by creating extra identities using proxies.

Types of Proxy Servers

So, what are the different types of proxy servers? There are regular proxy servers, multi-user proxy servers, HTTP proxy servers, and SOCKS proxy servers. The two most popular types of proxy options are SOCKS proxy servers and HTTP proxy servers another type is the transparent proxy server.

In reality though the more important differences are regarding the hosting and operational aspects of each different types. Unfortunately, the industry has very little standardization in the various types but here’s a few definitions to help you understand the differences in your search for genuine premium proxies.

Residential Proxy Server

If you see these advertised, then you’re probably looking at the better-quality side of the market. The reason is that residential proxy servers use IP addresses registered to individual home users usually through an ISP (Internet Service Provider).

This means that when the proxy server makes the outbound connection it will be with a highly anonymous residential IP address. Normally most standard proxies would use a commercially registered IP address instead. However, these do work they are very easily identified by most websites. When this happens, they are flagged as having a high probability of being from a VPN or proxy.

For many tasks using standard commercial IP addresses no longer work. A huge number of websites will instantly flag these connections as suspicious, and some will even block them automatically.  For example, to buy sneakers online from sites like Supreme you must use some sort of residential proxy.

Datacentre Proxy Server

This is probably the standard, default proxy server. If you just see proxy server advertised, then it’s more than likely a datacenter proxy server. This will be a standard proxy installed and running in a datacenter. It’s likely to be fast, secure and available because of its environment. Unfortunately, the only problem is that it will be using IP addresses registered to the datacenter. This means that it’s simple to identify as a proxy connection based on this address alone.  They still work for some tasks, for example you can usually use them for things like a BBC iPlayer proxy or other entertainment sites.

Shared Proxy Server

Most proxies also come into this category too. A shared proxy is one that you use with other people on similar subscriptions. This means you’re usually sharing the server itself and the IP addresses assigned to it. Sometimes this can cause issues especially if you’re sharing with lots of people.

For example, if you’re targeting a sneaker drop or a raid on Ticketmaster this is not good. Other people using the same IP address to do the same thing will thwart your chances. Shared proxies don’t really work for serious money-making tasks but are fine for research and some SEO tasks for example.

Dedicated Proxy servers

The prices will be going up for these simply because they’re expensive to run. The easiest way to bring the price down is to share resources with lots of people. A dedicated proxy server is usually for your use only. It’s not likely to have a whole machine yourself but at least a single private virtual instance.

The key question to ask regarding dedicated proxy servers is regarding IP addresses. Sharing a physical server is not usually that important, however sharing IP addresses can cause issues. A dedicated proxy should provide dedicated, exclusive IP addresses for your use only.

You can probably see here why there are so many combinations! You could for example have a dedicated proxy server which uses datacenter IP addresses.

Buy Premium Proxies

So what’s a premium proxy and where can I find one. Well, I think the fairest definition is the very best proxy that you can find. In this case there’s probably one group of proxies which stands above all others in the current market.

They’re called ISP Proxies, and they represent the very best aspects of the entire proxy industry. Here’s why they are so good –

Residential IP addresses

ISP proxies only use residential addresses meaning they offer the ultimate in privacy and anonymity. Basically, no web site will be able to determine that you’re using a proxy or VPN.

The problem with traditional residential proxies though was the way these IP addresses were obtained. Residential IP addresses are normally only released through telecoms and ISP (internet service providers) to their home customers. This obviously meant that it was really difficult to get hold of legitimate residential addresses.

The only valid solution up to now was to ‘borrow’ the IP addresses from directly from home users. This was usually done by offering free software and applications in exchange for ‘piggybacking’ the user’s connection and address. It worked but there were two main drawbacks. Firstly, the connection could be very slow as it relied on the end user’s broadband connection and device. The second issue was that the address could disappear at any moment if the user dropped the connection.  This is how most standard residential proxy’s work.

Having a slow and non-static IP address was not ideal even if it was a residential one.

ISP proxies have direct, registered residential IP address ranges which the companies have complete control over. Which means you can have a unique, dedicated residential IP address which never changes. This is perfect for establishing an alternative digital identity which is completely anonymous and undetectable.

Datacentre Hosting

There’s no doubt that the best place to host a proxy server for a premium service is in a datacenter.

Datacentres (or DCs) are huge server farms that are completely controlled and managed by companies specialized in those environments. They have their own power, network connectivity and support staff to ensure a fast, stable and secure environment.

ISP proxies can be hosted in these datacenters because they don’t rely on home user’s internet connections for their residential addresses.

Additional Proxy Queries

Here’s a few questions we’ve had in the comments or emails in response to this page.  We update these regularly so hopefully will keep this page up to date and relevant.

Where Can I Buy Proxy List Premium Servers?

Proxy lists are really a throwback from years ago.  You can still find them online and plenty of people asking for these proxy lists but they’re really not very useful anymore.  First of all the vast majority of proxies which appear on these lists are either hacked, broken or overloaded.  Often it’s all three !  These lists are complied by scraping through open ports on internet connected servers and sticking them in a text file.  There’s no guarantees of what they are, who’s running them or why they’re letting them be abused online free of charge.

Don’t use them!  It’s the easiest way to get your computer or servers infected with malware or get your data and credentials stolen.

Superproxy Meaning?

Superproxy is a term often used in computer networking and cybersecurity. It refers to a server (a system that manages network resources) that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients (users) seeking resources from other servers. A client connects to the superproxy, requesting some service, such as a file, web page, or other resource available from a different server. The superproxy evaluates the request to simplify and control its complexity. Superproxies are often used to provide added security, functionality, or privacy for the client.